"I was seven years old when I lost my father and was left with my mother, who suffered from poor mental health. We were very poor. I was born normal, but my growth was affected by malnutrition: I never had enough to eat. Only someone who has experienced starvation can really understand how horrible it can be.
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| Senait with her children - Photo: Mariantonietta Peru |
Makalle: Inaugurated by a prince
Prince Mengesha Seyoum, who was then governor of the Tigray region, was concerned about the poor, and often visited them. It was thanks to him that the SOS Children's Village was established in Makalle in 1974, inaugurated by the prince himself, who also provided the land for the village. I was taken there with other 15 children: it wasn't much different from now, although there were fewer trees.
The first day in the village
I will never forget my first day. As soon as I arrived at the village, I sensed all my troubles were gone as if by magic. I was given an SOS mother, Mama Takalesh, who hugged me, washed me, and gave me some new clothes. Food was always abundant. I couldn't believe that I would never suffer from hunger again.
Still missing her SOS mother
Mama Takalesh died 12 years ago, but I still miss her: she was a great SOS mother to me. As a physically disabled child, I felt inferior, and my condition created a lot of problems. I wished I was normal like the other children at the village. But my SOS mother used to tell me to be strong and not to let my disability be an obstacle in my life. I wasn't that good at school. My SOS mother struggled to help me but it never really worked. She accepted that, and found me a job at SOS Children's Villages. My education stopped at grade 9, when I was 20 years old. Now I work as a janitor at the nursing college. I take pride in my work and find it fulfilling. I know I provide a vital service to the community by keeping the place clean and tidy."
SOS Children's Villages made me a person
Senait points at an old black-and-white photo, taken in 1974, when she had just arrived at the village. "So many years have passed since then," she says. 'I got married and have two children, aged 12 and 5. I am happy now. I have a good family and in the end, my physical condition didn't prevent me from living a normal life. What is more, SOS Children's Villages made me a person. Without its help, I would probably be dead or living in a street corner now. SOS Children's Villages doesn't discriminate against the physically disadvantaged: it gives all children the best possible care."
Ethiopia remains one of the poorest countries in the world and has been greatly affected by famine-caused starvation, war, and HIV/AIDS. It has one of the largest populations of orphans in the world: 13 per cent of children throughout the country are missing one or both parents. There are also many physically disabled children in Ethiopia. SOS Children's Villages has given many of these children a chance to live in dignity, and has provided them with livelihood skills that allow them to fully integrate into society.